Customer Reviews

In Ashes Lie

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_In Ashes Lie_ continues the story of the Onyx Court, a faerie city situated just below London, and the Court's dealings with London's mortals. Lune, who became queen of the Onyx Court in Midnight Never Come, reigns still. Her mortal consort, Michael Deven, is long dead. Lune has chosen another man to act as her official consort and liaison with the mortal world, but the role is political only.

_In Ashes Lie_ follows Lune and her allies through the end of Charles I's troubled reign, Oliver Cromwell's rise to power, and the eventual restoration of the monarchy. Running alongside this mortal politicking, dangerous plots are afoot in the faerie court. As you might guess by the novel's title, the climactic events take place during the Great Fire of 1666, which threatens to destroy both London and the Onyx Court. Like _Midnight Never Come_, _In Ashes Lie_ gets off to a slowish start. Marie Brennan takes her time moving all of her pieces into place. When all hell does break loose, though, it's as exciting as anyone could wish, and made all the more effective by the careful, deliberate buildup of events.

This is, first and foremost, a story about power: its uses and misuses. It becomes clear early in the novel that Lune has been changed by her years on the throne, by the tough decisions that a ruler must make. The events of _In Ashes Lie_ test her further, and there are a few questions always on Lune's mind and the reader's: When should justice be tempered by mercy? Should the fae meddle in mortal affairs, and if so, how? Can Lune avoid becoming as ruthless as her predecessor, Invidiana?

Readers looking for romance will not find it here. If _In Ashes Lie_ is a love story, it's a love story between Lune and her kingdom, and between her mortal friends and the city of London. It's a beautiful and touching story, too. It's just not what you may be expecting if you seek another Lune/Deven plotline.

I'd be remiss if I didn't also mention Brennan's prose, just as restrained and elegant as before. And the only real peeve I had in _Midnight Never Come_ has been remedied here: there's a map of London in the front of the book, along with a Dramatis Personae for those moments when you can't remember who is lord of what.

Recommended, with the caveat that you'll probably want to read _Midnight Never Come_ first. _In Ashes Lie_ stands on its own plotwise, but there are many references to people and events past. The characters' history weighs heavily on them, and you'll get more out of the story if you are familiar with that history.

In this sequel to the excellent _Midnight Never Come_, Brennan moves forward from the end of the Elizabethan era to the middle of the seventeenth century. As the book begins, the Great Fire of London is just starting, and humans and fae alike are battling its flames. But it isn't just the fire that threatens: Brennan flashes back to earlier in the century, when King Charles I fought with politics and soldiers against the Roundheads, and Queen Lune of the fae Onyx Court struggles for her throne as well.

_In Ashes Lie_ has all the excellent historical detail and folklore of _Midnight Never Come_, and similarly good portraits of its historical characters and its fictional ones. I missed some of the emotional immediacy provided by the romance in _Midnight Never Come_, but the romance isn't just forgotten here; Lune still remembers and grieves for her human lover, who isn't simply forgotten as the immortal court lives past him. The flashback structure is well handled, and the plot is especially dexterously woven into the threads of history. I liked _In Ashes Lie_ even more than Midnight Never Come_, and I definitely look forward to the next book, which Brennan calls "an Enlightenment faerie alchemical fantasy".

While perhaps not as good as the first novel in this setting, In Ashes Lie was still a beautiful and at times touching romp through old London, and the respect that Brennan pays history is quite a relief. I have never studied this particular time period much, but it was obvious that a great deal of research went into the work, and at the same time, she does not bog you down with irrelevance. Excellent book.

Set a hundred years after Midnight Never Come in seventeenth century England, book two follows Lune, now queen of the Onyx Court, and Antony Ware, the human who rules at her side as Prince of the Stone.

As England falls into civil war, Lune faces enemies both from other faerie realms and within her own court. Those enemies attack the Onyx Court and London above. Intrigue and betrayal and would-be assassins, all leading to the release of a dragon who threatens to burn them all.

The historical detail in these books is mind-blowing, resulting in a London that feels real down to every last detail.

The first part of the book felt a little slow to me. Brennan takes us through the beginning of the English Civil War and the execution of King Charles. While the story is interesting, I find this series most engaging when we see the parallels between the human and faerie realms, and the faerie side felt a bit nebulous in the beginning. (By the end, on the other hand, you couldn't pry the book out of my hands.)

I loved the secondary characters: the giant Prigurd Nellt, the faerie knight Sir Cerenel, the doctor John (Jack) Ellin ... and of course, the Goodemeades are always wonderful.

It's a fascinating world. The details of the Onyx Court and its magic, the rituals of faerie, the intertwining of human and fae history. The third book, A Star Shall Fall, comes out on August 31 of this year.

If you're looking for action-heavy page-turning adventure, this might not be the book for you. If you enjoy richer worldbuilding and historical fantasy, I highly recommend the series.

Marie Brennan's In Ashes Lie is very ambitious in its scope, detailing the political turmoil leading to the execution of Charles I, following the chaos in the Onyx Court as Lune tries to maintain her rule, and recounting the horrors of the bubonic plague and the Great Fire of London. Likewise the cast of characters is large as we follow not only Lune but also her two most recent consorts, as well as characters from the Irish and Scottish fae courts. However, Brennan deftly handles the shifts between the different historical periods and the Onyx Court, though the reader needs to note the dates and times for each section carefully to keep track of the timeline.

The complexity of the plot makes it difficult to summarize concisely, but in this novel, Brennan concentrates on individuals' desire for power and the role of rulers, allowing Lune to learn from both her own mistakes and those of the human leaders of the period. The various threats to the Onyx Hall, including an elemental dragon and the Hag of Winter, mirror the threats to London above as both worlds suffer, face the issues inherent in human mortality, and ultimately rise above the conflicts by working together. The intertwining of the human and fae worlds becomes increasingly important in this sequel to Midnight Never Come and each consort adds to Lune's knowledge of humans and of herself. I particularly liked the introduction of Jack Ellin whose acerbic wit adds touches of humor to the book and whose ingenuity helps Lune to find solutions to her problems. The addition also of the "wild" fae from outside the Onyx Court adds a new perspective on the Lune's reign and her world. The plot is fast-paced and enjoyable, but a reader has to commit to following all its complexities, so be warned.

I agree with other reviewers that the map of London is a great addition to the text, but it isn't particularly beneficial if you're reading the book in an electronic format, as it's hard to see. I would also love to have a glossary in which some of the less familiar fae are described briefly. Most everyone knows what an elf is thanks to Tolkien but not everyone is familiar with a barguest or an asrai. Still, I found reading about different figures from myth and folklore fascinating, and I highly recommend reading In Ashes Lie.

Marie Brennan...
dear lovers of Faerie Lore,
... is a wonderful writer, and this sequel to Midnight is a gem. Set in the time of Cromwell, and the movement to overthrow the monarchy, and the consequences thereof, this novel is not merely a historical fiction of England but also, and to us more importantly, the Faerie folk who live beneath and alongside of London. Lune, the queen of the Onyx Court of London Fae, strives to keep her people safe from conspirators both without and within her court and this struggle takes us through the fall of the Monarchy, the Restoration, and the Great Fire of London. It is exciting reading, and is as rich in Faerie Magic as crushed velvet.
We love this book, and wish to say in closing that we trust she will write many more in this series, and set a twinkling star upon her brow to guide her to do so and bring blessings aplenty into her life.
kyela,
the silver elves

In 1666 having survived the Great Plague of last year, England is now wracked by civil war as King Charles II and the Parliament battle over who is in charge. Underneath, ironically the faerie Onyx Court faces an uncertain future as the Ancient ways that have sustained them for ages is ripping apart.

In London a baker Thomas Farynor has banked the fires of his ovens to go sleep. While he is sleeping, a spark escapes turning London into an inferno. He and his daughter Hanna flee into the night. At the same that the city is burning down, another threat has arisen to both the human and Fae occupants of greater London. This annihilator destroys anything in its path; to survive and perhaps defeat this invincible foe, the mortals and the fairies must unite, but neither side trusts the other.

Based on the real event of the Great Fire of 1666, IN ASHES LIE is a superb historical urban fantasy that grips readers who will feel transported back in time due to the vivid atmosphere that makes the seventeenth century human and Fae London seem alive and real. The story line is fast-paced as a deadly inferno threatens the mortal Londoners and an even deadlier malevolence threatens both species. Sub-genre fans will relish this exhilarating Restoration Era thriller and seek its prequel (see the Elizabethan Era MIDNIGHT NEVER COMES).

Harriet Klausner